Best Grocery Store 2011 | Whole Foods Park Lane | Best of Dallas® 2020 | Best Restaurants, Bars, Clubs, Music and Stores in Dallas | Dallas Observer
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Best Grocery Store

Whole Foods Park Lane

Walking in the 64,000-square-foot Whole Foods for the first time can be intimidating. Why is there a large cosmetics section? Did I accidentally go to Dillard's? But once you make your way through the expansive produce and meat sections, you realize this is foodstuff heaven. Allergic to gluten? You'll find a large selection of gluten-free foods here. Like to get buzzed while perusing baked goods? There's a wine bar with a well-priced and versatile selection of wines by the glass. Oh, and did we mention the frozen yogurt bar, expansive chef's case and covered parking? That last part sure makes this Whole Foods our favorite shopping haven in the summer heat.

Best Hippie Meat

Urban Acres

Whenever anyone starts talking to us about organic this, sustainable that and how buying local food can reduce our carbon footprint, we tend to zone out and assume that the conversation doesn't apply to us. Because we eat meat. A lot. Especially when we cook. A meal just isn't a meal unless we're eating something that once had a face, as far as we're concerned. So we assumed that a store that serves as the hub for a co-op style produce market had nothing to offer us other than some of the green stuff that goes on the plate as sort of an afterthought next to the T-bone steak, drumstick, pork chop or fillet of fish. And yet, the first time we walked into Urban Acres, fully expecting to find a bunch of bean patties and tofu and other bullshit meat substitutes, we instead saw a cooler full of flesh. Grass-fed, hormone-free beef. Free-range, stimulant-free chicken. Milk from cattle that weren't pumped full of antibiotics. Eating like a caveman never felt so natural.

Best Tailor

Margaret Custom Alterations

We're not so nimble with a sewing needle, but Margaret of Margaret Custom Alterations is so talented that she puts those crafty wannabes on Project Runway to shame. Whether you need a designer gown to be shortened or sequins replaced on your tacky Christmas sweater, Margaret can do it just right and in a reasonable amount of time. She can shorten those fancy designer jeans you just got and replicate the fancy stitching on the hem, and her steady hand can repair even the most intricate of beadwork. Now you don't have to worry when you get a snag in your Rudolph sweater at the holiday office party.

Best Vet

Katy Trail Animal Hospital

We all know that old cliché about our furry friends being family members is true, and it's as much of a bummer when man's best friend gets sick as when your better half does. Sometimes veterinarian costs can run higher than human healthcare costs, but the folks at Katy Trail Animal Hospital aren't in the business of helping animals just for the money, and that certainly shows not only when you're paying the bill, but also when you see the staff interact with the four-legged clients. The doctors and staff are certified animal lovers, the hospital features a state-of-the-art surgical facility and the kitty boarding area has plenty of windows for our cat to stare at her favorite birds.

Best Hair Salon

Avalon Salon

There's no better feeling than stepping out of the hair salon with a shiny, swishy new 'do, especially if that new cut, color and/or blow-out hasn't made you break the bank. In a city full of fancy (read: expensive) hair salons, Avalon has consistently been our go-to spot for reasonably priced hair styling and up-to-the-second trends. Those feathers you see all the young, hot things sporting in their manes? You could have been the first to have those red and yellow streaks in your hair and made all the kids envious. We give Avalon bonus points for the West Village location extending weekday hours and being open on Sundays and Mondays, a rarity in the salon world.

Best Better-Than-a-Massage Experience

Floating at Adrift Float Spa

As much as massages have been touted as the ultimate way to melt away stress, there's another stress reliever that puts the standard massage to shame. Adrift Float Spa specializes in floating treatments coupled with anti-gravity massage. First, you spend 15 minutes or so in the anti-gravity massage chair, which loosens up your muscles and surprisingly feels as good as a massage from a real, live person. Afterward you're whisked away to a private room that contains a giant saltwater tank with enough salt to allow you to be blissfully buoyant for an hour. With the dim lighting and soothing music, your stress immediately melts away as you enjoy the feeling of being almost weightless. After an hour of floating, you'll forget about those Swedish massages. It's like having The Dead Sea all to yourself.

Best Tarot Cards

The Labyrinth

In a purple cottage tucked away in a mysterious corner of Old East Dallas, this ... store? ... venue? ... spooky little hideaway offers a variety of merchandise associated with Wicca and other forms of magic. At the front in a glass cabinet is the best selection of tarot cards you're going to find in the city, certainly better than Walmart, ranging all the way from Aleister Crowley's Thoth deck to the more common and less infamous Rider deck. Lessons in tarot reading are offered here as well. But be polite, or you may get out to your car and find you've become a newt.

Best Hospital

Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas

If you're having a medical emergency, the best facility isn't usually the one that shows up on U.S. News & World Report's hospital rankings year after year or the one that landed 14 consecutive Consumer Choice Awards. It's the closest. Fortunately for an East Dallas-dwelling friend who had a recent health crisis in which seconds counted, his nearest medical center was Baylor, which has won all of those honors along with many others. His experience with a top-notch medical team was just as positive as those of other friends and family members who've been patients there recently. And it doesn't hurt that the cafeteria food options are surprisingly good, including a Chik-fil-A stand instead of the dreaded McDonald's outpost. Baylor, while not always the closest, is the best choice when you have a choice.

Best Bookstore

Cliff Notes Prolonged Media

Just like the literature summaries that inspired the bookstore's name, Cliff Notes is small. Before its move a couple doors down from 1222 W. Davis St. to its just slightly bigger current space, you could reach the register from the opposite wall in a couple of steps. But Carlos and Opalina Salas' shop is all the better for its diminutive size, with a selection (used and new) that shows an inclination toward Beat writers such as Ginsburg, Kerouac and Burroughs but also includes music history books and biographies, cannabis growing guides, biographies of revolutionaries and other edgy literature. Further, if they don't have what you're looking for, they're happy to order it for you. There are also a couple crates of vinyl if you're interested in a new 180-gram reissue or a used Kraftwerk LP. A shelf full of art and literary zines is the only place in town to find works from some up-and-coming writers and poets. But perhaps its biggest contribution to the community is the programming, ranging from poetry readings to an author signing by Dirty South hip-hop chronicler Ben Westhoff to weekly children's enrichment activities. And yes, for the students undertaking a last-minute cram session, they also sell CliffsNotes study guides.

Best Way to Stay Hip

Centre

If you don't know about Centre, chances are you're old, hate rap music and have never been on a skateboard. Because everyone else in town knows well about this Mockingbird Station shop, the go-to retail spot for all things street wear and culturally up-to-date. Eye-catching graphic tees, hard-to-find sneakers, expressive ballcaps and even ceramic toys — Centre's got it all. Other things, too, like in-store appearances from musicians and artists rolling through town. Plus, it's just a cool spot to hang out in, a haven for those for which the "new" is too old and "new-new" can't come fast enough. The best part: Aside, even, from being Dallas' epicenter of all things cool, the people who work and shop here are proud of their Dallas roots. You need a shirt that says you proudly rep the D, but you're sick of wearing another sports team tee? Hit up Centre. They'll hook you up with a fresh look.

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